TUSCALOOSA | The South has one of the highest obesity rates in the nation, at 29.5 percent, with often higher rates in rural areas.

To fight the epidemic, the Institute for Rural Health Research has teamed up with rural communities for the 14th annual Rural Health Conference, hosted by the University of Alabama’s College of Community Health Sciences.

The conference, which will be Wednesday at UA’s Ferguson Center from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., will focus on partnerships that can reduce obesity in rural communities.

“We have the highest rate of preventable diseases, and we have to start to change that,” said Lea G. Yerby, assistant professor of community and rural medicine. “We see that living in a rural area can increase your risk of obesity for a lot of reasons.”

Yerby blames the rise in obesity on the decline of farmers in Alabama.

“We have to make growing our own food and cooking our own food a part of the culture again,” she said.

Keynote speakers at the conference will be Michael Minor, the national director HOPE Health and Human Services Partnership of the National Baptist Convention USA, and Ravi Patel, founder of the Nashville Mobile Market.

The conference is an opportunity for health care professionals, community leaders, researchers, government officials and policymakers to hear from experts in the field in terms of obesity, said Sheena Quizon Gregg, assistant director of nutrition services at health promotion at UA and co-chair of the Alabama Obesity Task Force.

Alabama’s obesity problem and the various intervention programs that are being executed in rural areas will also be discussed.

The conference will have breakout sessions with focusing on topics like the community and behavior, the clinical track, the Alabama Diabetes Network/Alabama Cooperative Extension and the Alabama Quality Assurance Foundation.

“In my presentation, I will specifically address the Alabama Obesity Task Force and its role in making a healthier lifestyle more accessible for Alabama citizens,” Gregg said.

For more information or to register for the conference, visit http://rhc.ua.edu or call the Institute for Rural Health Research at 205-348-0025.

<p>By Morgan Taylor</p><p>Special to The Tuscaloosa News</p><p>TUSCALOOSA | The South has one of the highest obesity rates in the nation, at 29.5 percent, with often higher rates in rural areas.</p><p>To fight the epidemic, the Institute for Rural Health Research has teamed up with rural communities for the 14th annual Rural Health Conference, hosted by the University of Alabama's College of Community Health Sciences. </p><p>The conference, which will be Wednesday at UA's Ferguson Center from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., will focus on partnerships that can reduce obesity in rural communities. </p><p>“We have the highest rate of preventable diseases, and we have to start to change that,” said Lea G. Yerby, assistant professor of community and rural medicine. “We see that living in a rural area can increase your risk of obesity for a lot of reasons.”</p><p>Yerby blames the rise in obesity on the decline of farmers in Alabama.</p><p>“We have to make growing our own food and cooking our own food a part of the culture again,” she said.</p><p>Keynote speakers at the conference will be Michael Minor, the national director HOPE Health and Human Services Partnership of the National Baptist Convention USA, and Ravi Patel, founder of the Nashville Mobile Market.</p><p>The conference is an opportunity for health care professionals, community leaders, researchers, government officials and policymakers to hear from experts in the field in terms of obesity, said Sheena Quizon Gregg, assistant director of nutrition services at health promotion at UA and co-chair of the Alabama Obesity Task Force.</p><p> Alabama's obesity problem and the various intervention programs that are being executed in rural areas will also be discussed.</p><p>The conference will have breakout sessions with focusing on topics like the community and behavior, the clinical track, the Alabama Diabetes Network/Alabama Cooperative Extension and the Alabama Quality Assurance Foundation.</p><p>“In my presentation, I will specifically address the Alabama Obesity Task Force and its role in making a healthier lifestyle more accessible for Alabama citizens,” Gregg said.</p><p>For more information or to register for the conference, visit http://rhc.ua.edu or call the Institute for Rural Health Research at 205-348-0025.</p>